| Set: |  The League of Explorers |
|---|---|
| Type: | Minion |
| Class: |  Neutral |
| Rarity: |  Legendary |
| Cost: | 9  |
| Attack: | 7  |
| Health: | 8  |
| Abilities: | Battlecry, Discover |
| Wiki tags: | Spell-generating |
He's very good at retrieving artifacts. From other people's museums.
- For Rafaam's other appearances, see Arch-Thief Rafaam (disambiguation).
Arch-Thief Rafaam is a legendary neutral minion card, from the League of Explorers set.
How to get
Regular Arch-Thief Rafaam is obtained by defeating every boss in The League of Explorers.
As a Wild-format card, both regular and golden versions of Arch-Thief Rafaam can also be crafted for the following amounts:
| Card | Crafting cost | Disenchanting |
|---|---|---|
| Arch-Thief Rafaam | 1600 | 400 |
| Golden Arch-Thief Rafaam | 3200 | 1600 |
Generated cards
Artifacts
Summoned minions
Notes
- As a Discover effect, this minion's Battlecry allows the player to choose one of the three above options to place into their hand. Unlike other Discover effects the same selection is provided each time Rafaam is played.
- While the order of the three choices is in a fixed order, it will be randomized for your opponent, therefore they cannot see what artifact you picked.[1]
Strategy
This card's power is in its generated Artifact cards which you would choose based on the situation:
- Lantern of Power is best as a finisher as it lets you deal 10 damage (17 if Rafaam is still alive) to your opponent if they don't have a Taunt. This is the riskiest Artifact to pick because if your opponent fully destroys your board after Rafaam is played it becomes useless. In addition, a surprise Silence could also easily negate this; not to mention mind control effects which could make you regret using it at all.
- Mirror of Doom is good if you are behind on the board compared to your enemy. This card forces them to respond in a big way to your board as the following turn they face 21 damage from your board (25 if Rafaam is still alive). This is less risky than the Lantern of Power, but its risk is how slow the play is as the Mummy Zombies don't become useful until the turn after Mirror of Doom is played. Be careful playing this against AoE removal, since the Mummies can be wiped out by options like
Flamestrike and 
Hellfire, or either Holy Nova or Consecration with Spell Damage. - Timepiece of Horror is good when you have a need for a quicker answer to deal with your enemies' board than the Mirror of Doom. Of the 3 Artifacts this is the safest to pick up as the card has almost no chance of becoming a dead card in hand but its effect (in terms of how much it affects the game) is also the weakest of the 3. This can be compared to Avenging Wrath, which deals two less damage and costs a massive four mana less.
Rafaam is at his best when you pick up the Artifact you think you will need next turn, based on the current state of the game and what you think the state will be next turn (assuming Rafaam was played on your turn 9).
Quotes
- Summon
- I am Rafaam, the supreme archaeologist.
- Attack
- Yes! YES!
Lore
Rafaam is original to Hearthstone. Calling himself "the supreme archaeologist", the ethereal travels different worlds searching for powerful artifacts. He is known for his possession of three artifacts in particular - the Lantern of Power, the Mirror of Doom, and the Timepiece of Horror.[2]
This section uses content from Wowpedia.- Treading the chaotic spaces between worlds, the ethereals are astral travelers who dwell within the Twisting Nether. They are known to be collectors and traders of arcane items and artifacts. Now drawn to Outland, many ethereals are seeking to track down its treasures and steal them back into the Twisting Nether. They are liars and scoundrels who will stop at nothing to pursue their mysterious aims. The ethereals have no care at all for the Burning Crusade. They would even play both sides of the conflict against each other if doing so would serve to further their own goals.
Trivia
- As of its addition with The League of Explorers, the Lantern of Power offers the largest minion enchantment in the game, offering a +10/+10 buff.
Artist
Gallery
Arch-Thief Rafaam, full art |
  In the The League of Explorers trailer |
  Rafaam sneaking into the party in the One Night in Karazhan trailer |
Patch changes
- Patch 4.0.0.10833 (2015-11-10): Added.
